Public Project Review

Notice: Beginning March 1, 2025, the Public Projects Review team will only assist with Site Plan Review for public projects. Applicants submitting building plans for Public Projects may utilize Expedited Building Plan Review or Commercial Plan Review. Expedited Building Plan Review will honor council-approved fee waivers for building plans that meet public project eligibility criteria. Contact your case manager if you have any questions.  

The Public Project Review program allows reviewers to provide designers with feedback earlier in the review process. This should shorten the formal review process by reducing the number of update cycles, saving time and money. Projects that may qualify for the program include transportation, capital improvement projects, permanent supportive housing, and independent school districts.

Our Services

We offer:

• Meetings to outline the permitting process and provide design feedback
• Designated staff to provide support and communication
• Experienced plans examiners to work with you on design and code criteria
• Site Plan Review

Eligibility

Projects directly funded by the City of Austin (or city department) or with an explicit agreement are eligible for the Public Projects Review process. If projects do not meet two or more of these criteria, they are subject to eligibility review:

• City-funded (bond-funded or city budget line item)
• Project managed by City of Austin (Capital Planning Office)
• Resulting development maintained by the City of Austin
• Vital public infrastructure (transportation or utilities)
• Council-priority
• Open enrollment Independent School Districts within the City of Austin's jurisdiction

Process Overview

Public Projects Review staff and the design team will work together throughout a series of meetings to provide feedback and overcome design obstacles.   

  Submit Project Initiation Form

Applicants are required to complete the Project Initiation Form to provide detailed information about their new project as part of initiating this program. The requested information will help the Public Projects Review staff better understand the proposed project. An Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) ID number (anchor link to section below?) for the billing party is requested when submitting the Project Initiation Form. 

Project Initiation Form

After submitting the Project Initiation Form, Public Projects Review staff will determine if your project qualifies for the program. If it qualifies, staff will email you meeting options for a Public Projects Orientation. 

AB+C Portal ID

You can find your AB+C ID by logging into the AB+C Portal and navigating to "My Profile."

If you do not have an AB+C account, please register for an AB+C Portal account as a first-time user. If you need help, please call Austin 3-1-1 or refer to the AB+C Manual ^(PDF). 
 

  Public Projects Orientation

The Public Projects Orientation meeting is required. This initial meeting is 30 minutes and is used to outline the project scope and receive guidance on the permitting process. Meeting topics include:

• Project Feasibility
• Project Scope
• Common Permitting Hurdles
• Unique Site Challenges
• Identify Permitting Path
• Outline Public Projects Review Process and Timelines 

Typical applicant attendees include project managers, sponsored department representatives, civil engineers, architects, and other design team members prepared to speak on behalf of the project scope. 

After the orientation meeting, a meeting recap is emailed along with a link to set up your account in Bluebeam. All intake submittals and reviews are performed in Bluebeam. 
 

  Pay Fees

After Project Orientation, the applicant will receive an email with an invoice for the fees due and instructions on how to pay them. Fees are assessed per consultation and are subject to change per fiscal year. Visit the Fees section (anchor link) to learn more and view the fee schedule.

Payment Options

Fees can be paid through your account in the AB+C Portal. Contact the Public Projects Review team if you are paying by Journal Voucher (JV) or if  you have questions about fee payment.
 

  Consultations

Depending on the scope of work, Project Orientation will be followed by a series of Site Plan Consultations. Public Project Review will provide checklists and guidelines with documents required for the consultations before the meetings. Visit the Forms and Applications webpage for required applications and supplementary documents. Consultations will only be scheduled if the necessary documents are submitted in Bluebeam and ready for review and fees have been paid. Consultations are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• Early Design Consultation: Meet with the core permitting review and project design teams to highlight any initial permitting issues with preliminary design work.
• Mid-Design Consultation: This meeting is recommended as the plans are closer to completion (60%). All comments from the Early Design Consultation must be addressed before your Mid-Design Consultation is scheduled. We will introduce more review disciplines to address issues that might be present in the designs. 
• Pre-Submittal Consultation: This meeting is conducted near the end (90%) of the design team’s work to ensure that everything required for formal review will be prepared and submitted accordingly. All comments from the Mid-Design Consultation must be addressed before your Pre-Submittal Consultation is scheduled. This submittal is combined with Completeness Check.
• Technical Meetings: These meetings are scheduled by request for specific disciplines on code, agreement language, or other technical design concerns. 
   

  Application and Plan Submittal

Once ready to submit for Formal Review, upload your application, final plan sets, supporting documents, and pre-submittal responses to comments to your project folder in Bluebeam. All comments from your consultations must be addressed before being submitted for formal review. After uploading the required documents, email your assigned project coordinator and the Public Projects Review team. 
 

  Pay Review Fees

Uploads are verified, and staff will contact the applicant designated on the permit application with an invoice for fees due.  The formal review will begin once the invoiced plan review fees are paid.

Payment Options

Fees can be paid through your account in the AB+C Portal. Contact the Public Projects Review team if you are paying by Journal Voucher (JV) or if  you have questions about fee payment.
 

  Formal Review

Before moving forward, all comments from each review cycle must be addressed in Bluebeam.

Upon entering Formal Review, a case manager is assigned to the project and will serve as your liaison. They assist your team with communicating with the reviewers. The same reviewers you worked with during the consultations will be the same staff reviewing your application and supporting documents.
 

  Site Plan Permits

Once your site plan application is approved, the permit will be issued. You do not need to activate it.

Posting Permits

The General Contractor must print and display the permits on site.

Inspections

Site inspections are required throughout the construction process. Questions about inspections should be directed to the appropriate inspection group. Required inspections can be discussed during consultations with the specific review discipline.

• Pre-Construction Inspections - Visit the Environmental Inspections webpage for information on scheduling the pre-construction inspection meetings.
• Utility Cut and Telecom Inspections – Visit the Utility Cut and Telecom Inspections webpage for more information.
   

Fiscal Surety Release

After the improvements required in your approved plan are complete, the City Inspector will release the fiscal surety deposit or posting after inspecting the required improvements if fiscal was posted.
 

  Submit Building Plans

Based on the scope of your project, choose between Expedited Building Plan Review or Commercial Building Plan Review to submit your application. Consult your assigned Case Manager if you have questions.

• Expedited Plan Review projects are typically larger and more complex construction projects.
• Commercial Building Plan Review projects can be any type of commercial construction project.
• Fees vary between the two review types

Fees

Public Project Review fees are assessed as an hourly rate (Public Project Review Fees ^(PDF)). TThe fees in this table reflect the total cost of consultation services, including the number of staff hours needed to prepare for and complete each consultation, and they are charged via the "City Site Plan Consultation Fee." Fees are assessed per consultation and are subject to change per fiscal year.

Visit the DSD Fees webpage for a complete list of all fees.

Contact Us

Fill out the Project Initiation form to notify our team and start collaborating.